North Korea Flips Out About Chinese Report That Kim Jong-un Got Plastic Surgery

Kim Jong-unAPA report from a Chinese TV channel that suggested North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had undergone plastic surgery may have strained relations between the two countries.

Last week Shenzhen TV reported last week that a diplomatic source who had spoken to a North Korean official confirmed Kim had surgery six times in order to look more like his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, according to the AFP.

Despite a lack of evidence, there has long been speculation about Kim's possible surgery. Kim Jong-un is widely considered to emulate his revered grandfather. The report soon spread amongst news organizations in South Korea.

On Wednesday North Korean state news agency KNCA issued a lengthy article rebutting the report and other rumors from foreign news sources. From the English-language KNCA website:

They even cooked up the story of "suspicion of operation" something unimaginable. This shows that they were overwhelmed and stunned by the sunny image of the great man of Mt. Paektu.

[...]

It is extremely regretful that media of neighboring countries are playing into the hands of waiting maids for politicians.

The North Korea response specifically mentions China, and the Chinese government appears keen to limit the fallout.

China Digital Times, a media monitoring blog that often posts leaked censorship memos, reports that two specific censorship orders have dealt with the report. According to the latest memo, Chinese media has been ordered to not "report, comment on, or redistribute stories about the personal lives of North Korean leaders (such as face-lifts)."